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The stars were aligned for me
Burton Mail
|June 13, 2025
VENTRILOQUIST PAUL ZERDIN TELLS MARION MCMULLEN HOW WINNING AMERICA'S GOT TALENT BACK IN 2015 CHANGED HIS LIFE
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What was it like getting the golden buzzer when you appeared on America’s Got Talent? It came during what they call the judge's cut and winning it, well, I didn’t see that coming at all. I worked really hard and my aim was to get to the finals and get some exposure. I didn’t expect to win it. I was just making sure if I got through to another round I had it mapped out what I was doing and it was all planned in my head. (Laughs) I think the stars were aligned for me.
Did you get much time to celebrate the 2015 win? Not really. The press office at NBC move in and march you around for the next three days doing back-to-back interviews and there was not much time to celebrate.
It was an intense time and then I came home to the UK because I had commitments. It was just a bonkers time.
I was playing in Vegas and Nigel Havers came over to heckle me. It was very funny. We are great friends, he’s a bit like an older, naughty brother, and I knew he was coming, but had no idea what he had planned. He had never been to Vegas before and couldn't believe it.
This story is from the June 13, 2025 edition of Burton Mail.
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